Behind Korea's Archery Legend Was 'Hyundai Motor's Advanced Technology Support'

Hyundai Motor Fully Supports Korean Archery with High-Precision Shooting Machines, AI Coaches, and Customized Grips
Also Proud of Fair Athlete Selection System

[Asia Economy Reporter Changhwan Lee] The South Korean men's and women's archery teams made new history by winning gold medals in the team events at the Tokyo Olympics, thanks in part to the advanced technological support from Hyundai Motor Group.

Hyundai's love for Korean archery, which began with Honorary Chairman Chung Mong-koo, has been passed down through generations to Chairman Chung Eui-sun, contributing significantly to the development of Korean archery.

In particular, the advanced training equipment provided to the athletes ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is credited with laying the foundation for improved athletic performance. A fair athlete selection system was also a key factor in creating the Olympic legend.

According to industry sources on the 27th, Hyundai Motor Group, which has fully supported Korean archery for 37 years, provided the team with training equipment and methods incorporating cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), vision recognition, and 3D printing ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

A representative piece of equipment is the ‘high-precision shooting machine,’ which selects arrows of the highest quality. Athletes were able to shoot arrows from a distance of 70 meters using the shooting machine to test for defects in new arrows. Thanks to the shooting machine, athletes could select good arrows to use in actual competitions.

Also provided were the ‘automatic score recording device,’ which automatically reads scores and creates a database, and the ‘vision-based heart rate measurement device,’ which measures athletes' biometric information non-contactly to assess their tension levels.

The team also received the ‘deep learning vision AI coach,’ an automatic editing device for analyzing training videos, and ‘custom grips’ optimized for the athletes' hands, produced using 3D printers.

Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun is applauding as the women's archery team wins the gold medal in the women's team archery event at the Tokyo Olympics, held at Yumenoshima Park Archery Field in Japan on the 25th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The secret behind the men's team’s remarkable feat of shooting all six arrows dead center in the shoot-off against Japan, which required a decisive shot the previous day, and in the tense final against Taiwan, lay precisely in these technologies.

The background of Hyundai’s technological support is Chairman Chung’s exceptional interest and affection for Korean archery. Immediately after returning from a business trip to the United States last week, Chairman Chung hurried to Japan to cheer on the archery team. He has been passionately supporting and encouraging the athletes at every major match, sharing the moments of gold medal victories in both the women's and men's team events. He plans to stay until the final archery event to continue encouraging the athletes before returning.

Chairman Chung frequently visited archery venues even before the Olympics to boost the athletes’ morale. He also attended the archery test event for the 2019 Tokyo Games. While his purpose was to support the national team, it is known that he also toured the Tokyo Yumenoshima Park Archery Field and the athlete village facilities, which were the venues for the Tokyo Games archery events.

After carefully inspecting the facilities with officials from the Archery Association, Chairman Chung returned to Korea and had a facility identical to the Tokyo Games archery venue constructed at the Jincheon National Training Center. He also arranged for a mock competition applying the expected sound and broadcasting environments of the Tokyo Games.

The fair athlete selection system is also a major strength of Korean archery. The Archery Association is known for having no unreasonable practices such as favoritism based on regional or academic ties, nor sudden athlete selections due to factionalism.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.